Nicholas II of Russia vs. Louis XVI of France

Nicholas II of Russia was the last emperor of Russia before the Russian Revolution.

Louis XVI of France was the last king of France before the French revolution.

Nicholas II was inept, weak, resistance to constitutional monarchy, brought tremendous hardship to the people of Russia due to war and economic failure.

Louis XVI was a simpleton, indecisive, conservative, lived in extreme extravagance, brought great public discontent and economic failure.

Nicholas II abdicated after the February Revolution, and was brutally executed by the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution along with his wife and five children.

Louis XVI was arrested during Paris Commune, publicly sentenced to death by guillotine along with his wife the famous Marie Antoinette, his only heir died in prison and thrown into a mass grave.


Nicholas II was canonized as Saint Nicholas The Passion Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Louis XVI was stripped of all honorific titles, and the public cheered at his execution.

History sees Nicholas II with pity and sympathy, but sees Louis XVI with derision and disdain.

So it comes the question , two absolute monarchy rulers, both political failures, both caused great public discontent, both were overthrown by revolution, both were executed, how come the memories of these two people are almost polar opposite of each other.

The only reason lies with the identities of the executioners. Louis XVI's executioner was the French Republic. This government was short-lived, soon replaced by Napoleon, who brought swift change to French society, and domination of French over the continent Europe. Nicholas II's executioner was the Bolsheviks who established the Soviet Union, which during Stalin's rein had a Great Purge, causing millions of people's death.

It's easy to associate Louis XVI's death with the end of era and the beginning of glory, it's also easy to associate Nicholas II's death with oppression, persecution and fear.

In view of history, people are never objective. Ironically, Nicholas II's executioners gave him his sainthood.

A side note, when the Bolsheviks executed Nicholas II and his family, he, his wife and his son died immediately after they got shot. However, the 4 daughters survived two rounds of shots, and were finally bayoneted to death. It was found later that they had sewed several pounds of diamond in their corsets, which acted as bullet resistance layers, (these must be the most expensive bullet proof vest ever made).